Ayesha de Kretser/Shanghai Daily news

        
Left: Simple but sturdy furniture for outdoors.
Right: Barbecues range from inexpensive charcoal burners to gas models.

Anyone renovating their home in Shanghai cannot afford to miss B&Q. This megastore in Pudong houses everything a home renovator could possibly need and it’s all under the one roof.
From kitchen sinks to bathroom tiles to household furniture, B&Q has the lot. Maybe it’s not all set out as conveniently as in IKEA stores but it has a bigger range of products and more items for those who want to refurbish the structure of their home, not just furnish it.
B&Q is also the perfect place to find affordable garden furniture and, of course, barbecues. With the arrival of summer, those of us lucky enough to live in an apartment or house with an outdoor area need look no further when it comes to shopping for all the right equipment for outdoor entertaining.
It’s a bit of a mission getting to B&Q if you live in Puxi, but the Longyang Road Station of Metro Line 2 is only a short stroll away. If you can’t be bothered negotiating the crowds on a weekend, a weekday visit is highly recommended and actually quite enjoyable.
The staff of B&Q don’t speak fantastic English and could not be described as helpful when we visited so one should be prepared to do a lot of walking to find what is needed.
Prices are incredibly reasonable and the quality of many of the items for sale is good.
Don’t bother going to IKEA to do a price comparison, as they have virtually nothing by way of outdoor furniture on offer.
Despite the somewhat confusing layout and poor service, B&Q really cannot be beaten for value and extensive product mix.